While keyboard shortcuts are hard to remember, they can boost your productivity once you get familiar with them. For example, when you are in a text editing application, you won’t have to take your hands off the keyboard each time you want to select text to copy and paste.

Since most of these shortcuts are largely undocumented, you can refer to the following list to get started:

System Shortcuts

  • fn+1 (F1) Dim screen
  • fn+2 (F2) Brighten screen
  • fn+3 (F3) Spotlight search
  • fn+4 (F4) On-screen keyboard toggle
  • fn+5 (F5) Language toggle
  • fn+6 (F6) Back one song
  • fn+7 (F7) Play/pause
  • fn+8 (F8) Skip song
  • fn+9 (F9) Mute/unmute
  • fn+10 (F10) Decrease volume

  • fn+11 (

    F11)     Increase volume

  • fn+12 (

    F12)     Lock/power off
  • ⌘ Space Display a list of available languages; to choose one, tap the space bar again.

Text Selection and navigation

These shortcuts are the same as on any Mac, so you shouldn’t have any problem picking them up quickly on the iPad.

  • ⌘C Copy
  • ⌘X Cut
  • ⌘V Paste
  • ⌘Z Undo
  • ⌘⇧Z Redo
  • ⌘Delete to Delete the text to the beginning of the line
  • Control K to Delete the text to the end of the line
  • Alt (Option) Delete to Delete the word before the cursor
  • ⌘↑ Jump to top of document
  • ⌘↓ Jump to bottom of document
  • ⌘← Jump to beginning of line
  • ⌘→ Jump to end of line
  • Alt↑ Jump to previous start of line
  • Alt  ↓ Jump to next end of line
  • Alt  ← Jump to previous word
  • Alt  → Jump to next word
  • ⇧↑ Select the text above
  • ⇧↓ Select the text below
  • ⇧← Select the text on the left
  • ⇧→ Select the text on the right
  • ⇧⌘↑ Select all the text to the beginning of the document
  • ⇧⌘↓ Select all the text to the end of the document
  • ⇧⌘← Select the text to the beginning of the line
  • ⇧⌘→ Select the text to the end of the line
  • ⇧Alt↑ Select the text above, line by line
  • ⇧Alt↓ Select the text below, line by line
  • ⇧Alt← Select the text on the left, word by word
  • ⇧Alt→ Select the text on the right, word by word

iPad Navigation

While not normally enabled, iOS will also let you switch between apps and do a lot more if you enable VoiceOver. To switch it on, go to Settings > General > Accessibility > and turn on VoiceOver. Along with the shortcuts, this will also enable the actual voice over, but you can turn that off by pressing Control + Option + S.

  • Control Option H   Home button
  • Control Option H H   Show multitask bar
  • Control Option i   Item chooser
  • Escape   Back button
  • →  next item
  • ←   previous item
  • ↑↓ simultaneously tap selected item
  • Option↓ scroll down
  • Option↑ scroll up
  • Option← or → scroll left or right
  • Control Option S turn VoiceOver speech on or off
  • Command Shift Tab switch to the previous app
  • Command Tab switch back to the original app
  • ←+→, then Option + ← or Option+→ navigate through Dock

Safari

  • ⌘L Select address bar
  • ⌘T Open a new tab
  • ⌘W Close the current tab
  • ⌘R refresh the current tab
  • ⌘. stop loading the current tab

Mail

  • ⌘N create a new message
  • ⌘⇧D send a message
  • Backspace key to delete the currently selected message
  • ↑ or ↓ select suggested email address in To/CC/BCC popover fields